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The vocabulary of French veterinary practice.

Acronyms, institutions, obligations and software: each term has a one-sentence definition, its context and its official sources.

A

AMM · marketing authorisation
The AMM is the marketing authorisation a veterinary medicine needs before it can be sold, granted in France by the ANMV or at EU level by the European Commission.
ANMV · French Agency for Veterinary Medicinal Products
The ANMV is the department of ANSES, based in Fougères, that acts as France’s competent authority for veterinary medicines.
ANSES · French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety
ANSES is the French public agency for health and safety expertise, created on 1 July 2010; its ANMV department regulates veterinary medicines.
Approved e-invoicing platform · plateforme agréée
An approved platform is a provider registered by the French tax authority, for three renewable years, through which businesses send and receive e-invoices and report transaction data.
ASV · French qualified veterinary nurse
An ASV is a French qualified veterinary nurse, holding a level-4 certification, who supports the vet with reception, administration, hygiene and clinical assistance.

C

CalypsoVet · French antimicrobial reporting platform
CalypsoVet is the French platform through which vets report antimicrobial prescriptions, supplies and administrations, by the end of the month following each supply.
Cascade · prescription hors AMM
The cascade is the derogation that lets a vet, exceptionally and on their own responsibility, prescribe a medicine outside its marketing authorisation when no authorised product exists for the species and condition (articles 112 to 114 of Regulation (EU) 2019/6).
Categorised dog · chien catégorisé
A categorised dog is a dog classed as category 1 or category 2 under Article L. 211-12 of the French Rural Code, and keeping one requires a keeping permit and a behavioural assessment.
Chorus Pro
Chorus Pro is the French government e-invoicing portal through which every invoice to the State, local authorities or public bodies must pass.
Continuity and out-of-hours cover of care · continuité et permanence des soins
Continuity of care is the duty of a vet to ensure follow-up for the animals entrusted to them, and out-of-hours cover is the duty to take part in the emergency duty rota (articles R242-48 and R242-61 of the French Rural Code).
Credit note · avoir
A credit note is a document that corrects or cancels an invoice already issued, and refers expressly to that original invoice, as set out in French VAT guidance.
Critically important antibiotics · antibiotiques d'importance critique
Critically important antibiotics are substances, mainly third and fourth-generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones, whose veterinary use France restricts because they are essential in human medicine (article L5144-1-1 of the French Public Health Code).

D

Delegated veterinary procedures · délégation d'actes vétérinaires
Since 29 July 2026, a French vet may delegate first-level medical or surgical procedures in writing to a certified employee or a veterinary student, while remaining fully responsible for them (decree 2026-672).
Dispensing register · registre des délivrances
The dispensing register is the paper or electronic record in which a French vet who supplies prescription-only medicines enters every supply (article R5141-112 of the French Public Health Code).
Dog bite report · déclaration de morsure
A dog bite report is the declaration, made to the town hall, of a dog bite, which the owner and any professional who learns of the bite must file, followed by a fifteen-day health surveillance by a vet.
DPE · registered practice premises
The DPE is, under article R242-53 of the French Rural Code, the registered premises where vets practise, accessible to them at all times.

E

E-invoicing · facturation électronique
French mandatory e-invoicing requires VAT-registered businesses to issue and receive business-to-business invoices in a structured format through an approved platform; e-reporting passes the data of other transactions, notably with consumers, to the tax authority.
Electronic signature · signature électronique
An electronic signature is electronic data attached to, or logically associated with, other electronic data, which the signatory uses to sign; the eIDAS Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 recognises three levels: simple, advanced and qualified.

F

FEC · French audit file of accounting entries
The FEC (French audit file of accounting entries) is a computer copy of all accounting entries for each financial year that a business must hand to the French tax authorities during an audit of computerised accounts, in the format set by article A. 47 A-1 of the Tax Procedures Code.

G

GDPR in a vet practice · RGPD
The GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) applies to the personal data of pet owners and animal keepers that a vet practice collects: identity, contact details, invoices, reminders and communications.
GDPR processor · sous-traitant au sens du RGPD
A GDPR processor is the natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body that processes personal data on behalf of the controller (article 4, point 8, of Regulation (EU) 2016/679).

H

HDS · French certified health data hosting
HDS is the French certification that a host must hold to store personal health data on a digital medium on behalf of a data controller or a patient, under article L1111-8 of the French Public Health Code.

I

I-CAD · French pet identification register
I-CAD runs France’s national register of microchipped or tattooed dogs, cats and ferrets, on behalf of the agriculture ministry.
Informed consent · consentement éclairé
Informed consent is the agreement a vet must obtain from the owner or keeper of an animal, after explaining clearly the diagnosis, prophylaxis, treatment and prescription (article R242-48 of the French Rural Code).
Invoice retention · conservation des factures
Invoices and accounting supporting documents must be kept for six years for tax purposes under article L. 102 B of the Tax Procedures Code, and for ten years under article L. 123-22 of the French Commercial Code.

L

Listed disease · maladie répertoriée
A listed disease is a transmissible animal disease included in the list in Article 5(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/429 on animal health, and classed in one of categories A to E by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1882.

M

Mandated veterinarian · vétérinaire mandaté
A mandated veterinarian is a vet appointed by the administrative authority to carry out sanitary police operations on behalf of the State, a status separate from the sanitary authorisation held by a sanitary vet.
Mandatory invoice particulars · mentions obligatoires d’une facture
Mandatory invoice particulars in France are the details that article 242 nonies A of Annex II to the French General Tax Code requires on every invoice, including an issue date and a unique, sequential and continuous invoice number.
Medicated feed · aliment médicamenteux
Medicated feed for animals is feed ready to be given directly to animals, made by homogeneously mixing one or more veterinary medicines with feed materials or compound feed, as defined in Regulation (EU) 2019/4.

O

Ordre des vétérinaires · French veterinary regulatory body
The Ordre des vétérinaires is the statutory body every practising vet in France must join; it keeps the register of vets and enforces professional ethics and independence (article L242-1 of the French Rural Code).
Ordre register · tableau de l’Ordre
The Ordre register is the list of registered vets kept by the regional councils of the Ordre des vétérinaires, and practising in France is conditional on being entered on it (article L241-1 of the French Rural Code).
Ordre registration number · numéro ordinal
The Ordre registration number is the national registration number a vet holds with the Ordre des vétérinaires, and it must appear on the vet's personal stamp (article R242-38 of the French Rural Code).

P

PMS · practice management system
A veterinary PMS (practice management system) is the practice software that manages appointments, patient and client records, prescribing, dispensing, stock, invoicing and payments.

R

Rabies vaccination · vaccination antirabique
Rabies vaccination is the injection that protects a dog, cat or ferret against rabies; it is compulsory for categorised dogs in France and is required for an animal to move between EU member states.
RCP · summary of product characteristics (SPC)
The RCP, or SPC (summary of product characteristics), is the official document attached to a veterinary marketing authorisation that sets out the medicine’s composition, target species, indications, dosage, contraindications and withdrawal periods (article 35 of Regulation (EU) 2019/6).

S

Secure till software · logiciel de caisse sécurisé, NF525
French VAT law (article 286, I, 3° bis of the General Tax Code) requires every business that records payments from consumers to use till software meeting conditions of inalterability, security, retention and archiving of data.
SELARL · French limited-liability professional practice company
A SELARL is the limited-liability professional practice company, registered with the Ordre des vétérinaires, through which French vets practise together.

T

Till closure · clôture de caisse
A till closure is the end-of-period step in which till software totals the payments recorded over a given period; under article 286, I, 3° bis of the French General Tax Code, the French tax authority requires daily, monthly and annual closures.

V

VAT on veterinary medicines · TVA des médicaments vétérinaires
In France, veterinary medicines are subject to the standard VAT rate of 20%, with no distinction between companion animals and farm animals, while feed for food-producing animals is taxed at the reduced rate of 5.5%.
Vétérinaire sanitaire · State-authorised animal-health vet
A vétérinaire sanitaire is a French vet holding a prefect-issued authorisation (article L203-1 of the Rural Code) to carry out the State’s compulsory disease prevention and surveillance on a keeper’s behalf.
Veterinary code of professional conduct · code de déontologie vétérinaire
The veterinary code of professional conduct is the set of professional rules laid down in articles R242-32 and following of the French Rural Code; it applies in particular to vets practising in France under article L241-1 of that code.
Veterinary estimate · devis
A veterinary estimate is the price information a vet must give a client for a service: the price where it is set in advance, or otherwise a method for calculating that price or an estimate for a type of service (article R242-49 of the French Rural Code).
Veterinary national collective agreement (IDCC 1875) · convention collective vétérinaire (IDCC 1875)
The national collective agreement for veterinary practices and clinics, identified as IDCC 1875, sets the terms of employment for staff employed in vet practices and clinics in France.
Veterinary pharmacovigilance · pharmacovigilance vétérinaire
Veterinary pharmacovigilance is the monitoring of adverse effects of veterinary medicines after they are placed on the market, based mainly on spontaneous reports from professionals and animal owners.
Veterinary premises categories · établissement de soins vétérinaires
French law reserves the titles practice, clinic, specialist referral centre and veterinary hospital for regulated veterinary premises that meet the standards of the order of 13 March 2015.
Veterinary prescription · ordonnance vétérinaire
A French veterinary prescription is the document a vet issues, after a clinical examination or proper assessment of the animal, for a veterinary medicine or a human medicine given to animals (articles 4 and 105 of Regulation (EU) 2019/6).
Veterinary specialist · vétérinaire spécialiste
The title of veterinary specialist is reserved to vets who meet the diploma requirements of article R812-55 of the French Rural Code, in a specialty on the list set by the minister responsible for agriculture.
Veterinary telemedicine · télémédecine vétérinaire
Veterinary telemedicine covers the acts a vet performs remotely using information technology: teleconsultation, tele-expertise, remote monitoring, remote assistance and triage.

W

Withdrawal period · temps d’attente
The withdrawal period is the minimum time, set for each treatment, during which food from a treated animal, such as meat, milk or eggs, may not be placed on the market.